Adventures In Babysitting
by JulieM
Summary: Somebody comes to visit DC and Harm is left holding the baby! COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Title: Adventures in babysitting. By Jules

Summary: Just a bit of fun that I thought up, while I should have been reading for my psych tutorial! Somebody comes to visit DC and Harm is left holding the baby!

Disclaimer: I don't own JAG or any of it's characters, but just borrow them for a while to exercise my overactive imagination! JAG belongs to DPB, Bellisarius Productions and CBS.

Spoilers: None. This piece is set some time after 'Shifting Sands'

Rating: PG.

Category: Slightly H/M shipper, UST

Feedback is always very welcome!

Part 1

Lieutenant Colonel Sarah Mackenzie was just returning to her office after a long morning at court, when something happened that completely bowled her over.

She would have thought that she was imagining it, if Bud Roberts hadn't been by her side and hadn't exclaimed in surprise as well. All of the staff around the office looked bemused as well, as the small toddler ran through the bullpen, wailing loudly.

Harm appeared soon after, calling, "Ana ! Ana, wait! Don't run, Sweetheart!"

He ran past Bud and Mac, in the direction where the child had headed, but was having a hard time seeing the small figure ahead of him in the crowded hallway.

"What on earth was that, Lieutenant!" Mac turned to Bud.

"I…I have no idea, Ma'am," he stammered in reply, still wide-eyed and looking towards the hallway where Harm had disappeared.

Just then, everyone snapped to, as Tiner called out, "Admiral on deck!"

"As you were, people," The Admiral told them, after surveying their questioning faces, "If it is possible, I'd really like you all to get back to work. Commander Rabb will be back with us shortly, then I'm sure he'll fill you all in."

With that, they were left to resume work, although Mac found herself impatiently glancing out of her window every now and then, waiting for Harm to return to the office.

Just what had that all been, anyway?

Five hours earlier…

"Yes, Sir," Harm spoke to his Commanding Officer on the phone, "I understand, I know that I cannot let my family problems interfere with my work, but I've nowhere else to leave her…I know it's been bad enough that I've been worried about Sergei going MIA again, but his girlfriend just dropped her off…No, Sir, I didn't know that Sergei even had a girlfriend, let alone a child with the woman, but I haven't spoken to him lately…She's two years old, Sir…Yes, Sir. After work today, I'll try calling up some more day-care centres and try to get her in somewhere…No Sir, I won't let her affect the working order of your office…No, Sir…Thank you Sir. I'll see you in a while, Sir, I've just got to get Ana up, fed and ready…Goodbye, Sir."

With that, Harm went to go and wake a cranky two year old.

Ana was balanced in one arm as Harm tried to balance his briefcase and case files in his other. The little girl was whimpering sorely from her place snuggled up to his shoulder. Luckily, he was the first one into work today and the entire bullpen was empty. He really didn't feel like answering questions, right now. Once he was in his office, he took the cushions off his sofa, riffled through Ana's change-bag and pulled a quilted comforter out and got her settled in the corner of the sofa. After that, he sat down and tried to make some headway on the files that the Admiral had assigned to him at the beginning of the week. His CO was getting very impatient with him, Harm knew, so he really had to get these done as soon as possible.

A few hours passed, with Ana starting to whine at regular intervals, either needing a bottle, a pacifier or her diaper changed. Harm moved swiftly each time, not wanting her to start crying loudly and attract the attention of the rest of the staff. It was now just past ten o'clock, Harm's stomach was grumbling because he had skipped breakfast, but at least Ana was now sleeping peacefully.

Just then, his phone rang and Harm grabbed it quickly, wincing as Ana stirred in her sleep, but thankfully she drifted away again.

"Hello, Commander Rabb speaking."

"Harm," Sturgis Turner spoke up, "I thought that we'd be going over the Canterbury disciplinary hearing, half an hour ago…Did you forget?"

'Shit!' Harm thought to himself.

"Uh, yeah I did," he admitted sheepishly, "Sorry Sturg…"

"What's up with you?" Sturgis teased, but just a little curious, "You've been in a funk for days…"

Harm had decided not to tell anyone at the office except for the Admiral about Sergei's disappearance. He didn't know anything for sure about why his brother had disappeared. Maria had promised that she would call him as soon as she had found anything out.

"What is wrong with you Harm?" Sturgis continued, then kidded, "You've been holed up in your office all day…What, have you got a girl in there?"

Harm just stammered a reply as he made a decision.

"Sorry, Sturg…Listen, why don't you come over to my office, say in five minutes…"

"Hey," Strugis stopped him, "The meeting was in my office…I'll see you over _here_ in five minutes, Commander."

At this, Sturgis quickly hung up on him. Harm let out a groan and replaced the phone receiver. Now what was he going to do? There was no way he would take Ana across the busy bullpen to Sturgis's office…But she was sleeping soundly at her place on the sofa. She'd be fine while he was gone for five minutes, wouldn't she? He placed another cushion between her and the edge of the sofa so she wouldn't roll off then quickly made his way out of his office, quietly shutting the office door behind him. The sooner he met with Sturgis, the sooner he'd get back to Ana.

Just a few minutes later, Admiral AJ Chegwidden made his way over to Petty Officer Coates's desk, after giving a quick briefing to the rest of the staff.

"Coates, have you received those files back from Commander Rabb, yet?" he asked her, "The SecNav has been on the phone asking about them, _again_."

Harm was supposed to hand them off to PO Coates so that she could make a copy of them for filing, before they were handed into the Admiral, before he gave them to the SecNav.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Coates apologised, "I haven't had them back from Commander Rabb, yet…But he's been in his office all day, I'm sure he's nearly finished with them…"

AJ strode over to Rabb's office door and peered through the blinds into his empty office.

"Has anyone seen, Commander Rabb!" he asked the bullpen staff, angrily.

"I believe he was with Commander Turner, Sir," Gunny told him, reluctant to get his friend into trouble.

The Admiral stalked over to PO Coates's phone, dialled in Sturgis Turner's extension, then barked into the receiver, " Commander Turner, would you tell Commander Rabb that I am ordering him to my office, _Right now!_"

After that ominous spectacle, the whole staff bit their lips as Commander Rabb quickly, worriedly made his way out from Commander Turner's office and into the Admiral's office.

"Would you care to tell me _why, Commander_, those files are still in your possession, _unfinished and uncopied_, nearly _four days_ after I first gave them to you?"

AJ kept his voice steady and calm, although he felt his anger brimming. Harmon Rabb was trying his patience sorely, lately.

"I'm sorry, Sir," Harm apologised, "I have no excuse, except that I have a lot on my plate, right now, with the case that Commander Turner and I are getting ready to prosecute. I've also been trying to figure out an angle on that prosecution that the Colonel and I have been handling. But I will have the files finished within the day and I will copy them personally, before I bring them back to you, so you may turn them in to the SecNav."

AJ's previous intent at staying calm quickly disintegrated and he raised his voice so that probably the whole bullpen would be able hear him, outside.

"You'd better make damn sure that you do, Commander, or _so help me_…"

However, he was cut of by a loud wail that challenged even his tirade, coming from behind his desk. The two-year-old toddler quickly ran from behind the Admiral's desk and escaped through the open office door that Tiner had poked his head inside, to ask if everything was okay.

Harm, Tiner and AJ remained gob-smacked for a second, before Harm spoke up.

"I'm so sorry, Sir…She was asleep in my office…She must have gotten out and wandered in here…Permission to go and retrieve the baby, Sir?"

"Permission granted," AJ spoke up, his temper now diffused, "And my apologies for losing my temper, Commander…I didn't mean to frighten her…"

Harm quickly hurried out in search of the little girl.


	2. Chapter 2

Part 2

It had taken a while for Harm to find her, despite her phenomenal lung capacity, but once he had retrieved her from underneath the desk of an officer in the next office, Harm carried the crying child back towards his office. He didn't have the words to calm the frightened child and her tears continued to flow down her cheeks, splashing and wetting the front of her dress as she cried disconsolately for her 'Mama.'

"I know, cupcake," he tried to soothe her, but knowing that she couldn't understand his English words.

By the time that he got back to the bullpen, a whole press conference of staff members had gathered, curiously eyeing the little girl in the frilly blue dress that was perched in his arms.

"Commander?" each of them broached him.

"As you were, please. Back to work," he cut them off, as he strode towards his office.

Mac emerged from her office, but he ignored her calling his name and shut his office door and concentrated on getting Ana calmed down and hopefully back to sleep.

Mac just gathered with the rest of the staff outside Harm's office as they watched him pace back and forth across the length of his office, rocking the toddler comfortingly in his arms, against his chest.

"Ma'am," Harriet approached Mac, "Do you know whose the baby is?"

"I have no idea, Harriet," Mac shook her head, "Commander Rabb has told me nothing…How do you suppose he got stuck with babysitting duty?"

Harriet just shook her head, "I don't know, Ma'am…Unless…"

"Unless what?" Mac asked her.

"Nothing, Ma'am…It's just silly…"

"No, really. Unless what?"

"Well…unless the baby is his, Ma'am," Harriet spoke up.

She grimaced as she caught the look of hurt on Mac's face, which Mac was unable to completely conceal.

"But I'm sure he's just watching her for somebody, Ma'am," Harriet tried to dismiss her earlier conjecture then she scuttled off before she did any more damage.

Mac continued to watch Harm and the baby through the window. They did seem to be very comfortable together…No, that was just ludicrous! Who on earth would have a child with Harm? And how could she not know about it? You could count on one hand the number of women Harm had been seeing over the past few years…Annie-no, definitely not, Jordan-no, dead women didn't have babies, Renee-there was no way she would have had a child, besides she was married to Cyrus the mortician now. Who on earth did that leave? She was still in close contact with Congresswoman Bobbi Latham, so Mac knew that that wasn't a possibility. But did she really know about all of the women with whom Harm chose to have a relationship?

"Of course I do!" Mac justified to herself, "I'm his best friend."

"_A best friend who wants to jump his bones_," Mac's subconscious added.

Mac found her eyes drifting back to the little girl who was now laid across Harm's shoulder as he patted and rubbed her back comfortingly. She couldn't see much of the baby except her tiny, porcelain-looking face with chubby pink cheeks, and a mass of brunette ringlets. Harm's back was to Mac when the little girl lifted her head up and locked eyes with her. Mac's breath caught in her chest as she took in the toddler's unmistakeably blue eyes.

"My God," Mac thought to herself, "Those are Harm's eyes!"

There was no doubt about it; those teary blue eyes definitely belonged to a Rabb.

Mac could hold herself back no longer, she made her way to the office door and knocked, gently. Harriet, Bud and Jen Coates weren't far behind her as she opened the door.

Once she was in there, she didn't know quite what to say, so just said the first thing that came into her mind;

"Is she okay?"

"Yeah," Harm told her quietly, continuing to soothe the baby into sleep, "She just got a fright, that's all."

"The Admiral, Sir?" Coates asked as they all watched the Commander ease the little girl back down onto the sofa and tuck her up securely in the quilted comforter.

"Yeah," Harm revealed, "She must have wandered into his office while I was with Commander Turner. The Admiral started off at me and she got frightened."

"Poor little lamb," Harriet sympathised, looking down at the little girl with a motherly instinct, "She's absolutely gorgeous, Commander!"

Mac continued to watch the little girl as she sucked on her pacifier as she slept and she couldn't help but be moved.

She nodded in agreement with Harriet and added, "She's a little doll, Harm."

Harm just scoffed and told them, "Oh yeah, she's a doll alright; A doll that cries. Loudly. I didn't get any sleep last night."

"She'll get better," Harriet told him, "She's just reached a bad age. The terrible twos?"

Harm nodded and continued.

"I just don't know what to do…" He told them helplessly, "I can't get her to stop crying!

That's all she does, day and night…And I can't calm her any. I don't know any Russian…I just have to wait for her to cry herself out. Do you have any idea how many tears there is in that tiny little person?"

Harriet, Bud and Coates just laughed, but Mac was too busy telling her heart to beat again.

'She isn't Harm's baby! Oh, thank you God,' she prayed fervently, 'She must be his brother's, Sergei is the only Russian person that Harm is in contact with.'

"So she's your Brother's child Commander?" Harriet asked him, twigging onto the same thought as Mac had.

"Yeah," Harm told them all, " Her Mama dropped her by, last night…Sergei has gone MIA again, you see and she's gone on a search to find him. Maria is with the Russian Military, too. That means I get to spend some time with the niece I never knew I had."

"It must be a shock to the system," Bud spoke up, "What is her name, Sir?"

"Ana," Harm told them, "Anastasia Maria Zhukova. And it was a _huge_ shock to the system. It's been a while since I've babysat for little AJ and I haven't gotten much experience with baby James. Neither of them cry as much as Ana does."

"I'm sure it's just her age, Sir," Harriet assured him.

"She'll probably have teeth coming through, Commander," PO Coates pointed out.

"Is that why she keeps gnawing things?" Harm asked her, things suddenly falling into place.

"Of course!" Harriet exclaimed, "When little AJ was cutting his teeth he was absolutely rotten! No wonder she's been crying, what with her Momma away for the first time and with the teething pain that she's been going through."

"Is that why her cheeks have been flushing scarlet?" Harm asked, then mused, "I suppose that if I were experiencing that sort of pain, all day long, then I wouldn't be much fun to be around, either."

"I could nip out to a pharmacy and get you something to take the edge off her pain, if you would like, Commander?" Harriet offered, "Just some baby parecetamol or something."

"Oh, that would be great, Harriet!" Harm told her, thankfully, "In the meantime, I really need to get those files finished for the Admiral."

Everyone began to file out of the office, with one last look at the sleeping toddler on Harm's office couch, but Harm halted PO Coates with a hand to her shoulder.

"Thanks for your help, by the way, but where…?"

"Where did I learn about babies, Sir?" she pre-empted him.

"Uh-huh," Harm said, curiously.

"I'm actually a fully registered nanny, Sir," Coates, "Before I decided to sign up with the Navy, I tried my hand at childcare. Then the option of the military came up and it was too good a chance not to take."

"Thank you, Petty Officer. That will be all," Harm thanked her again and dismissed her.

After that, Harm sat down and continued to work away again.

Not long after, Harriet arrived back with the bottle of liquid baby parecetamol and some teething rings that Harm could put in the freezer, so they would cool down Ana's sore gums when she chewed on them. Harriet gave him instructions about the dosage to give Ana and instructions about how to make it up in her bottle.

Harm was finally putting his finishing touches to the case files when there was a knock on his office door. Sturgis poked his head in and commented, "I hear that you _have_ got a girl in here after all."

Harm just nodded and looked towards where Ana was sleeping on the sofa.

"My, my, my! You always did go for the lookers," Sturgis joked then asked, "So this is your niece, Mac says."

"Yeah," Harm confirmed, "She's my brother's daughter. He's gone MIA and his girlfriend has gone to track him down…"

"Hence why you've got her, Uncle Harm," Sturgis guessed.

Just then, Mac joined them.

"Still working on those case files, Uncle Harm?" she asked.

"Yep, I'm just finishing them off. Then, all I've got to do is copy them and hand them back to the Admiral. Do you want to go over that desertion prosecution, when I'm done?"

The conversation was quickly tabled when Sturgis noticed that Ana was stirring.

"I think you're about to have you hands full again, Uncle Harm," he pointed out.

"Uh-oh," Harm muttered, making his way to the toddler, just as she let rip a sore cry from her place on the sofa.

Harm quickly lifted her into his arms and tried to soothe her, before she really got into the crying fit, but to no avail.

"She's having teething problems," he told Sturgis, pacing back and forth across his office, trying to get Ana settled, "She'll be ready for another bottle…Maybe I can put some of that baby parecetamol in it that Harriet gave me…"

He turned to Mac and asked her, "Could you possibly hold her while I go and make up her bottle?"

Mac just looked at him in shock.


	3. Chapter 3

Part 3

"I…I think Coates might be a better choice…" She stammered.

"Coates isn't here," Harm pointed out, "and besides, you know Russian, maybe she'll calm down if she hears it."

Harm passed the crying toddler to Mac and rushed to grab a bottle and her milk formula from her changing bag.

"I like the bag," Sturgis commented, laughing, "It's just your colour!"

"I'm looking into getting a more masculine one," Harm told him, dryly, "With airplanes or something on it!"

At first, Mac stood rooted to the spot, then managed to ease into her new role, somewhat. It had been a while since she had been this hands-on with little AJ. She hadn't had too much experience with Harriet and Bud's new son, James, but the times when she had babysat for them, James was already sound asleep in his crib by the time she got there.

"Shh, shh…" She tried to soothe the little girl, in Russian, "Don't cry honey, it's alright."

She had to admit, she actually enjoyed the time she spent with the little girl, while Harm was away making up the bottle. It may have had something to do with the Rabb eyes staring intently back at her, but Mac felt her heart beating just that little bit faster.

"You look pretty good at that," Sturgis noted then moved to amuse the little girl, "Hey, there! What a pretty little girl! Yes, that's what you are!"

By the time that Harm returned from the kitchen, there were several staff members in his office, all cooing over the little girl.

Mac was sitting in his desk chair, bouncing Ana on her knee, trying to get the little girl to smile for them. However, Ana just continued to stare intently at the pretty lady, who had dark hair and spoke just like her Mama did.

Harm jumped as he realised that the Admiral was standing behind him.

"I'm sorry, Sir," he quickly apologised, leaning over and grabbing the files from his desk, "I just finished with these. I'll get them copied, straight aw…"

The Admiral just took the files from him and handed them to PO Coates, then made his way to where his Chief of Staff was sitting, smiling.

"I believe I have the right to invoke Admiral's privilege, Colonel."

"Of course, Sir," Mac stood up and passed the little girl to him. As soon as Ana caught sight of him, she immediately broke into tears again.

"Oh, no!" the big tough Admiral exclaimed with exaggeration, "We can't have you crying, no we can't."

He tried and failed to get her tears to stop over the next few minutes, so had to pass her back to Harm, who then fed her.

"Back to work, I think, everybody," the Admiral ordered his staff then left to return to his own office.

"Thanks, Mac," Harm told his long time partner as she went to leave.

"No problem, Harm," she told him then asked, "Shall we go over that desertion prosecution in a while?"

"Yeah, okay," Harm agreed, "Give me ten minutes to get her back to sleep?"

Mac nodded then made her way back across the bullpen to her own office. After she had shut the door, she sank into her office chair and pondered the last few minutes.

"That was kinda nice," she thought to herself.

For just a second, while she had been holding Ana and looking into her blue eyes, she had allowed herself to make believe that she was holding her own baby, hers and Harm's.

"Whoa there, Colonel!" she quickly stopped herself, "That's a slippery slope that you're going down. You can't let yourself think that way."

But the mere thought of those piercing blue eyes and that cute little face was enough to make her ovaries skip a beat.

"Oh man!" Mac exclaimed, dropping her head to her hands on top of her desk, "I've got it real bad!"

Three hours later, Harm and Mac were still trying to find a way in which to proceed with their case. It seemed that the Marine Major may have a way to escape justice, thanks to a legal loophole that Harm and Mac just didn't see a way around.

"I just can't figure it out, Harm," Mac complained, "He's going to walk this and there doesn't seem to be any way we can stop him."

They continued in deep discussion for the next few minutes then Harm listened intently while Mac began to explore another option. However, she trailed off a minute later when she realised that Harm wasn't actually listening to her. She followed his gaze to the sofa behind her.

"Well look who's awake!" Harm exclaimed, softly, "About time, sleepy-head! Did you have a nice-long sleep? Yeah, you did, didn't you?"

Harm and Mac both smiled as they realised that the little girl had been so silent all of this time because she had been intently listening to Mac speaking.

"I think I should have you over more often," Harm joked, "Are you doing anything tonight?"

"I knew you only wanted me around for my language skills!" Mac jibed back.

They laughed for a minute then Harm went over and lifted the still-sleepy toddler, bringing her back to the desk and cuddling her on his knee while they continued to go over their case.

They had still made no headway by the time that the Admiral arrived. He poked his head inside Harm's office and commented, "You two look like you're busy at work. Or should I say 'you three?' "

"Yes, Sir," Mac told him, "But we're having some difficulty with this case, Sir. Major Tulving is using a legal loophole as his defence and the Commander and I just can't seem to find our way around it…"

The Admiral came around and stooped to take Ana from her place on Harm's knee.

"First things first," the Admiral told them with determination, "I have got to find a way to make this child smile again!"

"If it's any consolation, Sir," Harm told their CO, "The only person I've seen her smile for is her Mother."

"She'll smile for me, won't you, Pumpkin?" AJ turned the little girl to face him.

She quickly burst into tears again, looking to Harm to take her back.

"It's okay! Don't cry, honey!" Harm told the little girl, "Uncle AJ just wants to see you smile. Don't you want to give us big smiles today?"

Mac repeated this in Russian, but the girl shook her head and reached out to Mac.

AJ tried solidly for a whole ten minutes and managed to succeed in getting Ana to stop crying, but she was still not happy about being so close to the man who had frightened her.

"I suppose she's just tired and cranky, Sir," Mac supposed as she took the little girl, who had again reached out for her.

"Nope, it just looks like I'm becoming one of those scary old men that I used to hate when I was a child," AJ resigned himself to his status, "Anyway, shall we see if we can make some progress with this case?"

They all sat trying to note down some ideas. Ana just sat quietly on the desk, Mac holding her securely. She didn't seem to be too bothered by the Admiral's presence anymore.

Harm had just suggested another idea, but the Admiral spoke up, pointing out that the Marine Major had some friends and family in high places.

"So basically, that means that none of these ideas will work, doesn't it, Sir?"

AJ sighed, nodding. In frustration, he took the sheet of paper they had just been writing on and ripped it off the notepad.

"Looks like all this is no good," he observed, taking the sheet of paper and ripping it into half, then into quarters.

Suddenly, much to the surprise of everyone sitting across from her, baby Ana burst out into a radiant smile and giggled loudly.


	4. Chapter 4

Part 4

Harm, AJ and Mac just sat and stared at her for a second.

"Good grief, I've done it!" the Admiral exclaimed, his smile equally as radiant, "I've made her smile again!"

He took the ripped pieces of paper in his hands, turned them around and ripped them into eighths. Ana threw her head back and bellowed with laughter. All of the adults laughed delightedly as they watched her. There was something about her tired, hysterical laughter that raised the fatigued atmosphere of the office.

Just then, Harriet knocked on the door, a teething ring in her hand. She had been about to deliver it to Commander Rabb's office when she heard the noise from inside.

"Commander Rabb?" she asked, holding up the cold teething ring, "I thought you might want to give Ana this…"

"Come here and looking at this, Lieutenant," AJ spoke up.

When Harriet had walked around the desk and stood to watch, AJ ripped up the bits of paper again.

Ana let out a bellow of baby-laughter and Harriet clasped a hand over her mouth in delight.

"Oh my Gosh, Sir!" she exclaimed, happily laughing along with the rest of the staff.

Before long, the whole bullpen was crowded into Harm's office to watch AJ's antics with the little girl.

Everyone suddenly fell silent as the grinning little girl reached her arms out to Mac and exclaimed, "Ma, Ma!"

"Uh…" Mac stammered, "I think it's probably just because I speak Russian like her Mommy does."

She lifted the little girl into her arms and told her, gently, "You call me Aunty Sarah, Sweetie."

The little girl just looked at her, grinning sweetly and Mac felt her stomach flutter again.

"Come here, you little monkey!" Harm exclaimed taking her from Mac, "I think it's time for your lunch. He crossed over to the changing bag and took a jar of baby food, a small pot of yoghurt and a bib out.

Everyone crowded around the desk as Mac held Ana while Harm lifted spoon after spoon of food to her mouth.

It was an amusing sight to see all of the staff members opening their own mouths, encouraging the little baby who was watching them.

In this instance, it seemed to take not a whole village, but a whole bullpen to raise a baby!

The End


End file.
